The views and opinions expressed on this site and blog posts (excluding comments on blog posts left by others) are entirely my own and do not represent those of any employer or organization with whom I am currently or previously have been associated.

Academic Version: Applying my personal experiences and academic research as a professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies to provide a more complete understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues and current events related to American race relations, and Asia/Asian America in particular.

Plain English: Trying to put my Ph.D. to good use.

April 27, 2006

Written by C.N.

We all know that Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are known for their high tech industries. China and India are trying to get there as well. Should we include Viet Nam in that group as well? There are signs that Viet Nam has plans to become the next Asian high tech country:

Although Vietnam has a long and hard road to try and catch up to the likes of other Asian powerhouse countries, workers from the nation want readers to be on the lookout. Ho Chi Minh City now has around 100 software companies that have at least 50 employees.

In 2002, there were only around 7,000 employees in the software industry, with the number now up to around 32,000. Some Vietnamese workers that live and train in Silicon Valley are now heading home to Vietnam to start businesses and further train natives with emerging technologies.

This last blurb about Vietnamese Americans “returning home” to Viet Nam to develop transnational business enterprises is in line with my earlier posts about how many Vietnamese American entrepreneurs see “the motherland” as their next source of business opportunities. In other words, you might say that this is transnationalism and globalization at its best.

Nonetheless, unlike Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, or India, Viet Nam is controlled by a totalitarian regime that tightly regulates the economy and economic development in the country. But so does China, and they’re well on their way to becoming the next Asian high tech superpower. Will Viet Nam join them in the future? We’ll have to check back in ten years or so to find out.